Benefit reforms fail to help disabled people into work, claims charity

Disabled people are being denied access to government-funded programmes to help them into work because of changes to welfare policy, the Shaw Trust charity has warned.The first official analysis of the Work Capability Assessment, a new test introduced last year to determine whether people are able to work or claim employment and support allowance (ESA), reveals a significant drop in the numbers eligible for benefits. Under the new system, which is part of wider government welfare reforms, 36 per cent of those who applied for ESA were found to be fit to work – up from 17 per cent under the old arrangements for incapacity benefit (IB).